Thinking back as far as I can remember, I can't even begin to recall a time where Angry Birds were not dominating the top position on all of the App Store's Top 25 Lists. Regardless of whether you prefer the free or full version, it is safe to assume that is has graced the home page of virtually every iOS device in existence. For this simple reason, the application has had a choke-hold on the lists seemingly forever. Well, at least that was the case until last Thursday.

On that fateful day in January, a seemingly unknown app by the name of Bubble Ball rocketed to the top of the Free App List, bouncing Angry Birds Seasons Free from atop its lofty post. For any developer this would be a feat of momentous significance, but it is even more impressive when you further examine Bubble Ball's developer, Nay Games. While big name studios have the budget to throw scores of experienced developers at one specific project, Nay Games is comprised of a mother/son duo, of which the lead designer and programmer isn't even old enough to apply for a driver's license.

At only fourteen years old, upstart programmer Robert Nay has managed to prove that as long as you have an original idea, you can become an overnight success as a developer on the iOS platform. So, how many downloads does it take to top the Free Apps list? How about 1.5 million downloads since the game launched on December 29th, and a staggering 400,000 on that special Thursday where the App Store stood still.

And don't worry about the team over at Nay Games not seeing any profit from this Bubble Ball adventure, because Dean Takahashi of VentureBeat.com is reporting that they already have plans in the works for patching in monetized microtransactions soon.

This has to be one of the best "feel good" stories of the new year, so why not give Bubble Ball a download for yourself and see what all the hype is about? 1.5 million downloads can't be wrong!